Prior to the present invention, it was observed that alkenyl unsaturated aromatic ethers underwent rearrangement to low molecular weight poly alkenyl phenols when attempts were made to cationically polymerize such aryl alkenyl ethers as shown by the following equation: ##STR1## where R.sup.+ is a cationic polymerization catalyst.
As shown in the copending application of James V. Crivello Ser. No. 243,302, certain aromatic polyvinylethers were found to be cationically polymerizable without such rearrangement occurring Experience has shown that in order to successfully cationically polymerize aryl alkenyl ethers, it is necessary to have a protective alkylene radical between the aromatic nuclear oxygen atom and the alkenyloxy radical. Attempts to cationically polymerize aromatic polyallylethers of the formula, EQU R.sup.1 [GR.sup.2 OCHR.sup.3 --CR.sup.4 .dbd.C(R.sup.5).sub.2 ].sub.n ( 1)
where G is a member selected from the class consisting of ##STR2## R.sup.1 is a polyvalent aromatic radical, R.sup.2 is a C.sub.(1-8) alkylene radical, R.sup.3, R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 are the same or different monovalent radicals selected from hydrogen, halogen and C.sub.(1-8) alkyl radicals and R.sup.3 and one of the R.sup.5 radical can be divalent C.sub.(1-3) alkylene radicals which together can be part of a C.sub.(5-8) cycloaliphatic structure, and n is an integer equal to 2 to 10 inclusive, were unsuccessful even though these polyallylethers are insulated from the polyvalent aromatic nucleus R.sup.1 through the alkylene radical R.sup.2. Journal of Organic Chemistry, 42 (21), 3360, (1977) that monofunctional allylethers can be isomerized to propenylethers using a ruthenium catalyst, such as RuCl.sub.2 (PC.sub.6 H.sub.5).sub.3. We have discovered that aromatic polyallylethers of formula (1) can be isomerized to produce the corresponding aromatic polypropenylethers of the formula, EQU R.sup.1 [GR.sup.2 OCR.sup.3 .dbd.CR.sup.4 --CH(R.sup.5).sub.2 ].sub.n ( 2)
where R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5, G and n are as previously defined, which can be satisfactorily cationically polymerized.